Craft Technique: Ink Dragging with Embossing Folders

This is a variation on the 'direct to paper' technique that card makers love.  In case you don't know what that is, it's quite simple.  You open the ink pad and you lay it directly onto your cardstock or paper.  Then, you press it down and wipe it all over the cardstock to colour it.  It's like colouring in with an ink pad.  You can do this with ink blending, but if you want a solid colour, it's much quicker to do it with the ink pad.

This technique has an extra step and it requires a gentle touch.  First, emboss your plain white cardstock using an embossing folder in your die cutting machine.  I use a Cuttlebug, but any machine with any of your embossing folders will work the same.  Follow the dry embossing instructions that come with your particular machine.  Now for the fun part, choose an ink pad (or a few) and drag it over the cardstock, gently.  You may need to do it a couple of times.  The ink should colour the raised part of the cardstock.  If you want to see this technique in action, check out this video from May May (Made it).  She does a great job of explaining the process and shows you some ways to step up this technique.

Why do I love this technique?

1. It's a new way to use embossing folders, so I can make something different with supplies I already have. 
2. I can co-ordinate my embossed image with the ink colour I use on the sentiment or other elements on my card. 
3. This technique works with a range of embossing folders, small, large, frames, patterns, main images and even sentiments/ greetings. 
4. You can use any colour you like. 
5. If you need a background in a hurry, this one really packs a punch! 
6. You can use either side of the cardstock (the debossed or embossed side) which means you can get another 'look' from the same folder and stretch the supplies even further.  WOW.  
7. It's kind of hard to mess this up.  It's so easy! 

Here are a couple of the cards I created using this technique.  I played with a few other folders and made some more backgrounds but I haven't made them into cards yet.  

This card uses an embossing folder I bought at a cheap shop.  

If you know the original designer, I would love to give them credit. 

Ink: Rose Bud from Memento.  Sentiment: alpha stamps by Simply Cards?

This card was made using an embossing folder that was gifted to me, 

it came from a magazine and I don't know which one.  

I dragged gold pigment ink (Brilliance) over the raised pattern on the cardstock. 

The sentiment "joy" comes from the "And" sentiments by Catherine Pooler Designs.  

I will definitely be using this technique again!
See you next week! :)